Europe

One year of right-wing policies is more than enough! That was the clear
message from demonstrations and protests against the Swedish government
up and down the country on Tuesday. In Stockholm, between 6,000 and
7,000 gathered in protest against the right-wing attacks. We have hardly
ever seen a demonstration so filled with fighting spirit and enthusiasm.
It was a youthful demonstration, mixed with delegations of trade union
activists.

Slogans like, ‘They brought down unemployment benefit – now we will
bring them down!’ showed it was not just a protest but also a indicated
a willingness to go further and build a movement that wants to overthrow
the government.

The demonstrations, organised by the new grass roots network, ‘September
alliance’, were an insistent, forceful and loud riposte to the
government’s new attacks on the unemployed and the sick. In the new
budget, presented this week, new cuts in sick pay and unemployment
benefit are financing tax cuts, mainly for the rich.

The demonstrations were a forceful reply to the leaderships of the trade
union federations for manual and white collar workers – the LO and TCO -
who have refused to organise a struggle. Some union leaders (namely
those of Kommunal in Stockholm) even attacked the demonstration, saying
that it included organisations that do not condemn violence and that
they did not trust Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna (CWI Sweden). The
Social Democratic Party - the official opposition in parliament - does
not want to support protests that they themselves cannot control.

Despite no support from either national or regional union leaders, the
turnout was even bigger than last December for the official LO unions’
evening demonstration against the attack on the unemployment benefits.
However, many local unions did give their support, such as council
workers in the child- and elderly care, the all-Stockholm bus drivers´
section, two of the four postal workers’ branches, the two metro
workers’ unions and one teachers’ local branch as well as the two major
miners´ unions. On top of this, environmental groups, campaign groups
against privatisation of council houses and schools, immigrant groups,
refugees without papers as well as most left wing organisations took
part.

Fighting speeches

“The right-wing is privatising everything we’ve got. But here we have
gathered together the resistance to it. We aim to sink the government!”
said Bilbo Göransson, activist in Kommunal, branch 28, the initiator of
the trade union appeal for struggle, supported by some 20 other local
unions. Bilbo Göransson was the first speaker at the demonstration.
Later that night, his speech was the main news on the national radio
news. Together with Lena Ezelius, also a Kommunal activist, he was also
on national morning TV before the demonstration. Almost every national
media, including television, reported from the demonstrations.

“All trade unions must take up the struggle and expose the policies of
the government. The so-called workers’ party – as the major right wing
‘Moderates’ claimed to be during last year’s election campaign – now
wants to break the trade union movement! But one thing makes me worried,
frankly even furious, and that is the invitation from the LO leadership
to the Employers’ Federation for talks about the right to strike.
Instead, the unions should dig in their heels and say: ‘Don’t touch our
labour rights!’”, said Harry Rantakyrö, chair of the miners’ union in
Kiruna, who was invited to speak in Stockholm.

Other speakers included Jennifer Hillbom, from a women’s rights network;
Elin Gauffin, speaking against the privatisation of council housing;
Tomas Nilsson from the other miners’ branch in the North; Hasse Nilsson,
secretary of a branch of the teachers’ union and the chairperson of
‘Young Left’ in Stockholm spoke against racism and the neo-nazis. Train
driver, Per Johansson, recently victimised by Connex rail, spoke of the
lack of political as well as trade union leadership and, like other
speakers, of the need to mobilise the whole movement on a much bigger
scale.

More mobilisation

The 18 September protesters have promised more. The demonstration in
Stockholm was one of the biggest left-wing mobilisations for a long
time. In Gothenburg, 500 took part in the demonstration and in Umeå and
Luleå 150-200 each. Now, the network will go ahead with discussions on
how to continue and step up the campaign.

Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna (RS, CWI Sweden) has been a key part of
this campaign since its beginning and cooperation with other
organisations has gone better than on previous occasions. RS members
have worked hard to mobilise from their own workplaces and schools among
those who are now familiar with the party. On the Sunday before the
demonstrations, RS members in Stockholm sent text messages to over 400
of the local subscribers of the party paper, Offensiv, to remind them
about the protest. More than 400 copies of the party’s weekly paper,
Offensiv, were sold on the Stockholm demonstration and around 35
subscriptions to the paper. Similar successes were scored elsewhere.

RS as a party is for stepping up the pressure on trade union leaders to
put their full weight into new mobilisations against the government.
This week’s protest brings into focus the need for a political general
strike and also a genuine mass party of workers.